St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-27

writer many years ago by narrator no
less credible than a good old Spanish
priest, with whom the writer happened
to be staying ON few days. visit, says
a writer in the San Francisco Examiner.
One morning after breakfast 1 eXl
pressed wish to stroll into the ancient
graveyard attached to the old adobe
church of that quaint little Mexican
town. The old padre, with the kind
ness and courtesy characteristic. of the
simple missionary fathers, at once ac-
lating as we walked among the graves
the brief history of some who lay ,qui
city beneath. Here" he observed,
with quiet smile as he pointed to a
grave in the middle of the cemetery,
''here is grave which the simple cid
| Mexican families around here look upon
with unusual interest, if not with actual
awe"
"a murder?" ~
mo, no! Something much stranger.
| l have tried to combat the idea, and,
while / would be addressing the people
they would say, Isl 81 Padre They
belief remained and does remain III
delibIe.
"A spirit" he began, lis said to have
appeared to every one buried in that
grave, and to warn the family when
! ever any of them are about to pass
away
Its appearance, which is generally
made in the following manner, is be-
lieved to be uniformly fatal, being an
omen of death to those who are so UNI
| happy as to meet with it.
| t'When funeral takes place the
spirits said to watch the person who
| -. ,,,.I
whom it possesses fascinating i'll
! fiuence. -" .t
fIf the person be young man the
spirit takes the shape of a fascinating
female, inspires him with a charmed
! passion. and eXacts promise that he will
meet her at the graveyard month
from that day. This promise is sealed
with a kiss, that communicates a deadly
faint to him that complies.
"The spirit then disappears. No
! sooner does the person from whOmitre-'
ceives the promise and the kiss pass the
boundary of the church-yard than he re-
members the history Of the specter. He
sinks into despair and insanity, and
dies. If, on the contrary, the Specter
appears to a female, it assumes the
form of young man of exceeding grace
and beauty"
The padre showed me the grave of
young person about eighteen years of
age, who was said four months before
to have fallen victim to it. ''Ten
months ago. the father said. "a man
gave the promise and the fatal kiss,
and consequently looked upon himself
as lost. He took fever and died, and
was buried on the day appointed for the
meeting, which was exactly a month
after the fatal interview.
Incredible as it may appear, the
| friends of these two persons sOlmnly
declared to me that the particulars of
! the interview were repeatedly detailed
by the two persons without the slight
est variation.
There are several cases of the same
kind mentioned, but the two cases al
luded to are the only ones that came
| within my personal knowledge. t 81
1T appears, however, that the specter
does not cOnfine its operations to the
grave yard only. There have been in
stances mentioned of its appearance at
weddings and social parties, where it
never failed to secure its victims by
dancing them into pleuritic fever" i1t'
On being questioned as to what he
might think of such possible occur
rences, the good father simply smiled
and shook his head.